Write Out Loud Receives $25K Grant From NEA For American Literary Heroes Project

The grant will support a program highlighting four iconic American writers in San Diego.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 4:47am

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Write Out Loud, a San Diego-based organization, has received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support its American Literary Heroes project. The program will feature re-enactments of four renowned American authors - Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman - at libraries, schools, museums, and other community venues across San Diego County from mid-March through September 2026.

Why it matters

The American Literary Heroes project aims to commemorate the legacies of these iconic writers and affirm the enduring role of the arts in shaping America's future, as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.

The details

The American Literary Heroes project will feature the following re-enactors bringing the authors to life: Rhianna Basore as Emily Dickinson, Steven Smith as Henry David Thoreau, Paul Maley as Mark Twain, and Todd Blakesley as Walt Whitman. The program will showcase the authors' innovative use of form, focus on the common man, and break from poetic structures, which have made them pioneers and influential figures in American literature.

  • The American Literary Heroes project will run from mid-March through September 2026.
  • The United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026.

The players

Write Out Loud

A San Diego-based organization that is the recipient of the $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the American Literary Heroes project.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

The federal agency that awarded the $25,000 grant to Write Out Loud for the American Literary Heroes project, which is part of the Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes initiative.

Veronica Murphy

The Artistic Director of Write Out Loud, who expressed gratitude for the NEA's funding and the opportunity to share these literary giants with the San Diego community.

Mary Anne Carter

The NEA Senior Advisor, who stated that the agency is honored to support communities in recognizing the individuals whose contributions have defined America's history as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.

Rhianna Basore, Steven Smith, Paul Maley, Todd Blakesley

The re-enactors who will bring the four iconic American authors - Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman - to life during the American Literary Heroes project.

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What they’re saying

“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the National Endowment for the Arts is honored to support communities across the country in recognizing the individuals whose contributions have defined our history. Write Out Loud's project in San Diego plays a significant role in commemorating these heroes' legacies while affirming the enduring role of the arts in shaping America's future.”

— Mary Anne Carter, NEA Senior Advisor (broadwayworld.com)

“We are so grateful to the NEA for funding our American Literary Heroes program. Dickinson, Twain, Whitman and Thoreau each made an enormous impact on the American literary canon. Sharing these literary giants with people across our community is an opportunity we treasure.”

— Veronica Murphy, Write Out Loud Artistic Director (broadwayworld.com)

What’s next

The American Literary Heroes project will run from mid-March through September 2026, coinciding with the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations.

The takeaway

The American Literary Heroes project, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, will bring the legacies of four iconic American writers - Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman - to life for the San Diego community, affirming the enduring role of the arts in shaping America's future as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.